POTSDAM HUSH-HUSH

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 July 1945, Page 5

POTSDAM HUSH-HUSH

LITTLE NEWS RELEASED SOCIAL FUNCTIONS LONDON, July 18. The Big Three held their second formal meeting at Potsdam on Wednesday afternoon, according to an agency message. President Truman and Mrs. Churchill lunched together, while the British Foreign Secretary (Mr. Eden) entertained the United States Secretary lof State (Mr. Byrnes). Afterwards I Mr. Truman and Mr. Byrnes called ■on Mr. Stalin lor a talk at which the ! Soviet Foreign Minister (Mr. Molo- ' tc.v) and the Soviet Ambassador to the United States (Mr. Gromyko) were .■present. I It is officially stated in Potsdam I that the three Allied leaders are now holding regular meetings. To-night ‘President Truman will give a dinner ' party in honour of Mr. Churchill and Mr. Stalin. General Bradley, who com- , manded the American group of armies on the Western Front under General Eisenhower, has been called to PotsIdam to confer with the President on his new position as Chief of the United States Veterans Administration. Miss Mary Churchill to-night attended the first dance held at Potsdam in what used to be one of the largest studios in Germany. RACING PIGEONS USED. (Rec. 10.5 a.m.) LONDON, July 19. It is officially announced that the Bi o, Three are meeting regularly with the agenda prepared at 11 a.m. daily by the three Foreign Secretaries. Mi. Truman, to-night, is giving a State dinner at the temporary White House” for Mr. Churchill and Mr. Stalin and fivq other representatives of each Government. . . Fifty crack racing pigeons to-day are making the first pigeon flight attempted between Berlin and London. They are carrying important messages from the Potsdam Conference. The birds are expected to complete the 600 miles journey m lb A Berlin correspondent says. The conservation of lumber” was the official reason given by the British military authorities for the removal of a six feet Russian proclamation in the German language posted at 10J yards intervals along the mam roads of the British zone. A similar process is going on in the American zone. The hoardings, which were mounted on red painted poles, generally carried excerpts from Stalin s speeches, the most popular being: “The experience of history shows that Hitlers come and go but ■ the German people and the German State remain.” PRESS CRITICISM. (Rec. 12.30 a.m.) LONDON, July 19. The Potsdam Conference is the most crucial conference in modern times, yet in some respects it has degenerated into a roaring farce, said the “Daily Mail” editorially. this was bound to happen if the assembled world’s Press were led on nothing but trivialities, and not permitted to transit anything of real news, which the nations are waiting to hear. So closely are the principals guarded that it takes two hours fol a message to reach from people just outside the compound. So well are the correspondents dragooned that they are called into solemn conference to be told of the arrival of Mickey Rooney. It is difficult to know whether to describe such an atmosphere as cloak and dagger or custard pie. If the statesmen wanted a secret conference they should have so ordained from the beginning, but most of the preliminaries were conducted in the full light of publicity. It was only when, the real work began that the flow of information was suddenly dammed at its source. A secret Conclave wouldn t be tolerated by public opinion. Few would go to the opposite extreme ana advocate verbatim reports of every session. There is a medium course which we suggest should be adopted.